Octopus Games

 

'Octopus Games' is the name of a Japanese woodblock print designed by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, created around the same period as Hokusai was creating his prints. I wrote about Kuniyoshi for my dissertation at Uni, discovering that although he was not as famous as other artists, such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, he was the King of satire in a time where it was desperately needed. Tokyo (or Edo at the time) was under the strict rule of the Tokugawa government, where most pleasurable activities, including Kabuki theatre, were banned or suppressed. You can tell that the roots of Anime are found in this era and although I'm no fan of Anime, I really enjoyed visiting the Kuniyoshi exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts! Although many of the images appear humorous, there are numerous hidden messages that often escaped censorship. Here are two of his satirical triptych prints.

 

The two badges displayed above were bought from the Royal Academy of Arts whilst the exhibition was on, below are some photos of the Noh theatre masks on display at the V&A. Noh theatre was encouraged by the Tokugawa government, yet Kabuki and Kyogen, which are other forms of theatre, were quelled as Noh was the entertainment of the Samurai and other members of the upper classes.